


Road to the End, Volume 10

by digitaleva



Series: Road to the End [11]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-06-12 19:36:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 15,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15347148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitaleva/pseuds/digitaleva
Summary: In the wake of the thwarted attack on Haven Academy, everything seems calm, but, for Huntsmen and Huntresses, the true campaign is reaching a boiling point.





	1. Aftermath I

The sound of shattering glass indicated another bottle being struck down, its usefulness as a container wiped out in an instant. The inside of the darkened room was filled with similar "carnage", according to Qrow. And it had begun almost a week prior, as the first reports came in from the Haven Academy attack. All huntsmen and huntresses who had been there were made aware swiftly, and when Dante heard that students were among those who were killed, he was swift to flee. This time, however, it wasn't to another place, but to the bottom of a bottle.

His near unending drunken wanderings around the run-down shack he was renting in the Mistral slums were ended with the crash. He had fallen over, his head contacting the bottle and then the floor, just as Qrow had arrived to check on him. He burst through the door, the brittle wood giving way around the latch and splintering in hundreds of directions as the door flew open and to the wall. The older, more experienced alcoholic stepped in and saw the source of the sound.

In the middle of the floor, was Dante, struggling to right himself with his remaining arm. The damage to his prosthetic had been such that it needed to be replaced, and they weren't sure when it was going to arrive.

"Qrow?"

"Ayup. Looks like you did a number on this place."

"Mmhmm...." The mutter was understandable, as the intoxicated huntsman was now face down, having failed in yet another attempt to get up.

"And you," Qrow continued, his voice showing signs of concern, "did a number on yourself, too. I mean, I drink, but never to this extent."

"Liar."

The taller man chuckled. "Okay. I haven't done it to this extent in a few years, okay?"

He strode across the room, his long legs clearing the distance easily. He reached down and lifted his compatriot's almost completely limp body up over his shoulder.

"I can walk."

"Uh-huh. And that's why the mirror is broken, along with the glass sticking out of your arm."

"Would you look at that?" Dante's speech slurred as he waved his own arm in front of him, noticing the light hitting the shards of glass bottle that were sticking out of it. He felt his motion jolt as his head hit the wall.

"Wazzat fer?"

He then noticed that he was outside, and Qrow had, unceremoniously, plopped him against the wall.

"We need to take these out of you and at least get you admitted."

"I'm not crazy, Qrow."

"I know. Now hold still. This is gonna hurt like a bitch."

As he yanked the shards out somewhat roughly, Qrow poured a little alcohol over the injured area. Sure enough, Dante jerked his head back, cracking his skull on the wall.

"Damn!"

"Just hold still, you baby," Qrow shot back, tightening his grip on the younger man's wrist. "I'm almost done. Then we need to get you to the hospital for better treatment."

As he pulled the last piece out, Dante spoke again.

"I should have tried harder, Qrow. Those kids died because of me."

"Oh no. No no no. Those kids died because they jumped into a situation that was more than they could handle. That isn't anybody's fault. Not mine, not Tai, not your team, and, above all else, not you. Now come on. Let's get your shirt back on you and get to them."

"Them?"

"Your team. And stay away from the booze. You've had more than a lifetime's supply, it seems."

"Heh. Sure. Says the man who always carries a flask."

Qrow chuckled at the accusation. "You got me there."

He reached down. "Now, let's get you up."

On Haven's campus, Caos and Ebony were talking.

"If anybody can pull him out of this, I would have thought it was going to be you."

Ebony's face took on a confused tone at the statement. "I'm not sure what you mean?"

Caos, in a rare show of trust, removed her glasses and set them on the table, massaging the bridge of her nose. "Look me in the eyes tell me that you aren't worried about him."

The olive-skinned huntress blushed and looked away from her conversational opponent. She had been cornered and caught. She couldn't deny that she was concerned for Dante's well-being, which was why she had approached Qrow about going to see him. When the taller human had agreed to do it, she had been relieved.

After the news had broken, he had disappeared into Haven's slum district, and rumors began surfacing of a man with one arm, who was seemingly drinking himself to death. The people delivering the news were informants that she used regularly, and the image it painted wasn't a good one.

"I.... I can't."

Caos reached across the table, placing her hand atop the other woman's.

"I know. He's stubborn, and stupid, that's for sure. But he is how he is, and we won't ever be able to change him. So we have to trust that Qrow can do what you asked."

Down in town, Qrow was sitting hunched over in a hospital room next to a much taller, yet equally hunched Faunus.

"How is she?"

"Hmm?"

"Lapis. How is she?"

"Oh. Yeah. She's fine... I think. I mean... as well as can be expected, considering that..."

Obsidian stumbled over his words as he tried to piece them all together in a proper order. He was aware of the damage to his wife's arm, and the loss of her hand. He just wasn't sure how to talk to her about it. As he glanced over at Qrow, he noticed the blood stains on his sleeve.

"You're not bleeding, are you?"

"Huh? Me? Nope. That's from your idiot team mate. He was in the slums, drunk as a skunk, and before you get on me, I know that feeling. I pulled the largest chunks of glass out of his arm and brought him here. His arm should be in some time next week, but I want him to sleep this off in a safe environment."

"That's... oddly nice of you."

Qrow shrugged and stood. "Guess my younger niece rubbed off on me, ya know? If you'll excuse me, I have to report back to the one who sent me to retrieve him."


	2. Aftermath II

Another couple of days, and Dante was being released, his Aura having finally kicked in as the alcohol left his body. Despite being allowed out, he was being supervised.

"I'm fine, Caos. Really. You don't need to watch me."

His partner shot him a look, her glasses hiding her eyes, but her eyebrows said it all. He was going to have to listen to her, whether he liked it or not.

"While I, personally, may trust what you say, you did just come back from a massive bender. And don't even bother explaining why you chose where you did. I get it. You wanted to be alone. I know that feeling. It's how Qrow knew where you were, honestly."

Dante went to shove his hands into his pockets, only for his left arm to never arrive. "Oh yeah.... that's a thing now."

Caos smirked at him. "You never change. When we get back to the campus, Ebony has something for you, ya derp."

The swordsman cast his eyes towards the ground. "I can't imagine she wants to see me much right now."

The rest of the walk back to the campus was done in silence, with neither wanting to speak up and get into a fight. So Dante was shocked when he was met by both Lapis and Obsidian at the entrance to the building that Ebony's office was in.

"You... your hand..."

"Not your fault, Dante. Unless you happen to be a White Fang member in an oversized suit of armor."

She then pulled her arm out from behind her. "Besides, I get to kinda be like that guy in that sci-fi series. You know. The one where the guy's dad chopped off his.... hand.... what?"

Lapis eyes widened as she suddenly caught on to what had happened. In her fervor to show Dante her new hand, she had managed to release it from her arm, causing the appendage to fly forward.

"Sorry," she half, apologized, a smile forming on her face. "Just wanted to give you a hand."

Caos slammed her forehead into her palm. "And I thought Yang's jokes were bad!"

Dante used the distraction to slip away from his team and into the building, where he made a beeline for Ebony's office. Upon arrival, he found the room in a state of disarray the likes of which he had never seen outside of any room they had shared during one of their many rendezvous. Books which normally spent their time on the shelves were scattered on the floor and desk, with binders and various stacks of paper assembled in some fashion on the other two chairs and in the corners formed by the ends of the bookcases.

And there, in the middle was Ebony. She was sporting a white, button-up shirt, with her usual pants, with a pair of black boots that went up to below her knees. Her hair was also uncharacteristically frazzled, almost as if she hadn't been even remotely in the vicinity of a bed the entire time he had been gone.

He approached, forcing himself to step louder. When there was no reaction, he looked again, With the closed distance, he noticed that she was wearing a pair of ear buds, a faint sound coming out of them. Despite this, he could make out the sounds of Weiss' voice, the track reminding him that she was known internationally as a singer. Reaching out instinctively with his left, he slapped himself mentally and swapped over to his right.

As the hand made its gentle contact, the huntress on the floor leaned in towards the warm intrusion, her hand keying her scroll, stopping the music, before speaking.

"It's on the desk."

"How'd you..."

"You're predictable, sweetie. Wonderfully so. I knew you were here when you stepped harder. You happen to be the only one who will do that so you don't sneak up on me."

"Fair point." He then took her hand as she began to stand. "You don't need to do that."

"I know, but... I want to see you put it on."

Dante turned towards the desk, which was, in the middle, almost bare, save for the solitary box. He removed the top, revealing an arm similar to the one he had recently seen Yang with on Ruby's scroll, but adjusted.

"They've upped the durability on the parts, and redesigned a good chunk of it to mimic the advances in Atlas battle armor. Yours are hard for them, seeing as you have a lot of your forearm left, so they have to compress everything." Ebony looked over at him, and catching the falling expression, added, "But they welcome the challenge. The attack showed them how off they were in terms of durability and design. They're issuing these to everybody."

"There's already red on it..."

"Caos did that. Said she had a feeling you'd want to paint it."

"She didn't do this. She didn't want to paint hers."

Ebony punched him in the shoulder lightly. "Would you just put it on?"

Dante smiled at her and reached into the container. Extracting the device, he slid it onto the adapter, and it softly clicked into place and he began testing it out. The fingers reacted with far more precision than his first one, which drove home that his had literally been a prototype, making this what could be considered a final production piece. Where there had previously been rough, angular armor, there was now sleek and rounded metal, the shape infinitely closer to that of an actual arm.

The only part that didn't line up with his own limb completely was at the point where it attached. The limb was widened to allow him to slide it on with ease at this point, and it had also been redesigned to create something of an elbow guard at the back.

Turning suddenly, he scooped Ebony up in a hug. When he released her, he headed to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Lapis did something for me earlier. I need to return the favor."


	3. Responsibility

"But are they really our only shot at this?"

"I'm sorry to say it, but yes. They are our best and only shot at defeating her once and for all."

Ironwood was standing in Ozpin's office, his hands firmly planted on the headmaster's desk. He didn't like what he was hearing. Ozpin had just informed him that the members of Team RWBY were their only hope for defeating Salem, the enemy that he had only heard of, but never been fully briefed on before now. Suddenly, the idea that they had been training children as lambs to the slaughter was hitting him like a load of bricks.

"James..."

"No, Oz. I just... I cannot condone this course of action!" He raised his voice as he slammed a hand back down, the metal appendage creating a dent in the new desk.

Not wanting to hear any more of it, the Atlesian general turned and strode out of the office. As the elevator doors closed behind him, he removed his gloves and raised one, pale, metallic appendage to eye level. All this time, he had thought he was doing something to prevent further chaos from erupting around Remnant, when, in truth, he had been simply sending class after class of students to their eventual deaths far sooner.

As the doors opened again, he was met by Caos, who promptly snapped to attention and saluted.

"At ease, Dynasty."

"Sir."

He then strode past, keeping his composure until he was out of the building. He looked at the sky, a pained expression replacing the one of confidence he had slapped on hastily in front of the specialist.

"What have I done?"

Almost to his airship, the career soldier was met by one of the last people he wanted to see.

"You okay, Jimmy?"

He threw his hands up at this. There was seemingly no escape from the coming battles, so he may as well spill what he had just learned to one of the only other people Ozpin even remotely trusted.

"I'll tell you inside, Qrow."

As the pair entered the ship, Qrow decided to speak again, having been following quietly for a while.

"If I had to guess, you just learned about how my niece and her team are the lynchpins in Oz's plans to stop the wicked witch of the western hemisphere."

The utterance caused the seasoned headmaster to turn around almost immediately, coming face to cap with the alcoholic's flask.

"You knew?"

Qrow sighed as he let his shoulders fall slack again. "Yeah. Since Ruby was born. Oz just... he knew. He knew that Summer's daughter would probably inherit her traits. And," he added, throwing his hands up defensively, "I didn't care much for his line, either. Those two are all that remains of two people I once cared for."

James reached out, accepting the flask that had been extended towards him once more. "How do we even go about it? I just... I can't bring myself to graduate another class knowing this."

"The same as we have always done. We just trust that Oz knows what he's talking about. It isn't gonna make it any easier, but we don't need every huntsman and huntress to fight there. Only volunteers."

The words, though seemingly cold and unfeeling, hit their mark. For once, he would have to agree with one of the few people he preferred to avoid. A group of volunteers, made fully aware of what they would be up against was going to be the best way to minimize casualties. And it meant that students who had just graduated would be less likely to sign up. That was the last thing he wanted.

"True, we can use volunteers, but how do we make up the difference in our forces? If she truly has the capability to control the Grimm, a small volunteer force won't be nearly enough."

Again, Qrow had an answer that appealed to his senses as a military strategist.

"You know these tin soldiers that you keep claiming are so good? Use them. They can supplement the warm bodies by providing additional firepower, assuming that your martial arts-loving cyborg was put back in charge again."

"What does Specialist Dynasty have to do with any of this?"

"Plenty. She was on the project originally, correct? And she fixed the OS error after The Fall, right? So she should be the one in charge, not some sleaze ball scientist in a lab. She knows them inside and out."

"Keep it up, Qrow."

Mistaking the statement as a threat, the hunched over huntsman immediately fell silent.

"I mean it. You're on to something, I think. And it may just help us out in the long run."


	4. Divide I

Sitting in the dimly lit bar, Dante and Nero were having a conversation, which was more of the former listening while the latter spoke.

"Yeah, but..."

"No 'buts', cuz. You can't keep this up forever. Eventually, one of you is gonna get bored, one of you will die, or she could...."

"We're being careful, dude." Dante threw his hands in the air at the allegation that he and Ebony were being anything less than cautious.

"I'm not doubting it, but still. Things happen." Nero's brow was set, his implication that things happen that you can't possibly plan for being driven home along with the booze that was going down his cousin's throat. "So you need to make a decision. And it needs to be soon. Lilly just got word from the hospital: General Ironwood is looking for volunteers for a mission in the northwest."

Dante roughly returned the glass to the table. He knew that tone. It meant that Lilly was planning on going on the mission, with or without her husband. "You know it's a suicide mission, right?"

Nero's face fell towards the table. "Yeah. He's also asking for any Atlas alumni who are up to the task, with one condition."

"Oh really now? And what's that?"

"They must have graduated before the Fall of Beacon."

A harsh silence fell over the pair. Neither one wanted to talk, knowing what it meant. Both of their teams would be heading into that fight. And nothing was going to stop them.

Dante stood slowly and tossed a few Lien on the table. "That should cover it."

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I.... I've got some thinking to do," the scarred human responded. "Say hi to Lilly for me."

He then turned and left the building, leaving his cousin in stunned silence. As long as they'd been alive, Dante had been impulsive, almost to the point of self-destruction. And here he had just said that he needed to think about something.

Outside, Dante slowly made his way through the city streets. All around him, the signs of life drove his cousin's points home even harder than the rapidly fading buzz from the alcohol could even hope to impede.

Across the street, a woman and her husband took their son into a shop, their faces full of love for each other. Behind them, a young couple reunited in the street, pulling each other into a passionate embrace. By chance, he looked up only to see Ren and Nora, their twins in tow, taking some time to explore the town. In the shop to his left, and older couple shared a meal, their youth far behind them, but neither of them looking at the other with any hint of disdain or loathing, each seeing the other the same way for well over a decade.

He picked up his pace, wanting to just reach the solitude of his room, where he could really think about what he had to do, never once even stopping to think that he should just get it over with.

As he arrived on campus, the one person he was hoping not to see greeted him. As she approached, she could tell something was bothering him.

"You okay?"

"I... I'm not sure, Eb. I... I'm just not sure."

She placed her hand on his back, gently rubbing it. "Wanna talk about it?"

Dante sighed. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't like it. However, a chance probably wouldn't present itself like this again, so he took it. 

"Yeah. We can talk about it in my room."

The pair headed off, Dante more focused on what he was about to do than other possibilities.

Upon arrival, Ebony stepped closer, ready to begin their usual actions anew. However, she was interrupted when Dante stopped her.

"You actually meant talk, didn't you?"

The taller human nodded at this and motioned to the couch, both of them taking a seat at opposite ends. A new silence hung in the air, this one both charged with want for their carnal actions to begin, yet laced with uncertainty.

"We...." Dante's voice hitched slightly. "We've been doing this since before graduation, Eb. And.... And not once have we ever given ourselves a moment to think about what we are."

Ebony fidgeted in place. She wasn't exactly sure as to where this conversation was going, but she felt that it needed to happen. "Well, yeah, but..."

"I'm being serious, here. We both need to figure out ourselves before we go any further."

"Dante, what are you saying?"

"I.. I'm saying..."

He doubled over, looking straight into the ground for a few moments before continuing. 

"I'm saying that we... Look, it's like...." The normally well-spoken huntsman fumbled for his words. "There's a big mission coming up. They're asking for any Atlas alumni who are willing and able to go."

"So you go on the mission, no worries. You come back, we meet at my place, and things go back to normal."

"No, Ebony. They won't."

"Why not? It's not like it's a one-way trip!"

"That's just it, Eb! It's tantamount to suicide!" He shot up onto his feet. "We may NOT come back. And, if that happens, I..."

He fell back into the couch, his eyes falling again as he did, his voice returning to a normal volume. "Ebony, I don't want to hurt you. We need to end it."

"What do you mean, Dante?"

"I'm not kidding, Ebony. We. Need. To. Stop. This."

"What about this do we need to stop, exactly?"

"This! This whole whatever it is that we've been doing! We need to know for sure that we could continue even if something happened to the other, and... And I.... I just...."

Ebony deflated at this. Slowly, she rose and turned towards the door. "I see. I'll just... I'll get out of here then."

"Eb, that's not what I...." 

But it was too late. The damage had been done, and he was alone. The last thing he saw from her was the solitary tear rolling down her cheek.

As Ebony stepped outside, the sky darkened and rain began to fall, almost as if on cue. The trek to the landing pad where the flight to Haven waited was a long one. Along her path, she only saw reminders of how they used to be. Young men and women in their teens, rushing to get out of the rain, the lovers risking getting soaked for a quick kiss. The worst blow was struck as she neared the pad, where she ran into Obsidian and Lapis, the married Faunus so happy together.

"Heya, Ebony. It's been a while since...."

"Goodbye."

She knew she was being rude, but she couldn't bear to be next to them right now. Not like this. Much to her dismay, she arrived to find that the flight back had been grounded, on account of the worsening storm.

As she fell to the ground, the rain soaking her blouse, she felt a cold hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Just leave me alone." She shrugged the appendage off, the weight telling her it was a prosthetic.

"No can do. Lapis wouldn't let me live it down. This storm is supposed to be in the area for a few days."

"I'll get a hotel."

Obsidian straightened slightly, running one of his hands through his hair in an effort to push it back and out of his eyes. Mentally, he reminded himself to get a haircut at some point. Inhaling through his nose, he circled around and put one of his hands under her knees, the other snaking around under her left arm. Effortlessly, he lifted her up, pulling her close as he started heading towards the room he shared with his wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After next week's chapter, there will probably be a hiatus, as I have to get more chapters proofed, so I do apologize for that.


	5. Divide II

Back up in his room, Dante poured himself a drink and pulled out his scroll. He numbly dialed Nero's number, it not even registering until he heard the familiar voice on the other end.

"'Yeah?'"

"I did it. I..."

"'Cuz, you don't sound too good.'"

"I called it off, Nero. It's over." He drained his glass as he did this.

"'Oh damn. I see. That explains the call Lil' just got from Lapis.'"

"Oh really now?" He poured another drink.

"'Yeah. Said Ebony was going to stay with them for a while. They found her wandering around the campus, soaked to the bone.'"

"Got it. I'll stay clear of there for now. Thanks for the heads up. Catch you later." He ended the call as sullenly as he had began it, raising the glass to his lips, the burn from his hidden stash of alcohol blazing a trail of fire down his throat as he swallowed hard.

He poured himself yet another drink slumping more and more over the table. The only thing he could think of was the image that kept haunting his mind of her leaving, her last look back being so full of pain and sadness, and knowing that he had fought against his urge to jump up and apologize. He had suppressed his wanting to tell her that he took it all back. That he hadn't meant a word of it, and ask her to just stay.

As the contents of the bottle grew to be less and less, he heard a knock on his door.

"Ish opun," he managed to slur out.

"Oh no. No no no. Not again."

"What? Itsh jusht one?"

Caos looked back at him, and put her hands on her hips. "Based on your speech and motions, I'm calling you out on that one. And cutting you off."

"Jushtlemmedie."

"Nope."

"Yesh."

"Now, why would you want that?"

No response.

"Dante?"

It was then that Caos saw what had happened. There her partner lay, passed out on the table, the bottle of cheap whiskey slowly emptying itself out onto the floor. Making her way across to him, she checked his pulse and made sure he was in the right position, just in case he decided to visit the contents of his stomach upon the floor, and set about cleaning up the alcoholic mess.

As she finished, she shot a quick message off to Obsidian, letting him know that she was going to be staying around Dante for a while to make sure he didn't do anything else stupid. As she looked around, she was shocked that the domicile wasn't messier. She knew Ebony was in town, so she had almost expected to find bed sheets where they shouldn't be, along with various articles of clothing. A small snort drew her attention back to her drunk partner.

"What did you do, Dante?"


	6. Moments of Peace

Over at Team RWBY's living arrangements, things were a little more hectic, with two young children wanting to go outside and not being able to. When Weiss had called Blake's scroll about having a joint dinner, she had been able to get the two to calm down slightly, as it meant that Ruby would come over, and her daughters loved it when that happened. Mostly, they loved it because Ruby would attempt, and usually succeed, at getting them allowed to go out in the rain, even if just for a little while.

However, Blake was glad because she had been struggling to find a way to tell them that she, as well as Yang, would be participating in the upcoming campaign against Salem. She knew that it was probably a suicide mission, too, with the chances of the Huntsmen and Huntresses who were to go having less than a 5% chance of returning in one piece, and an even lower chance of returning alive.

Shaking the dismal thought from her head, she managed to regain her composure by splashing some cold water on her face.

"You okay?"

"Sun... I... I just...." The normally eloquent Faunus was at a loss for words for once.

The blonde monkey stepped confidently up behind her and put his arms around her waist. "I get it, Blake. And... I really wish it wasn't up to Ruby, too. But I do know one thing."

"And what is that?" she questioned, turning to face him.

"That she will have the three best people anybody could hope for backing her up."

"Cheesy, banana-breath."

The pair of Faunus turned to face the bathroom door, where Yang stood, leaning on the frame.

"Love you, too, Yang."

"You two do realize that Ruby and Weiss are here, right?"

In the common area of the modified dorm, Ruby and Weiss were sitting, with the children bouncing up and down in front of the younger woman, who was doing her best to distract them as Weiss double checked the list of things she was planning to cook.

"Oussie?"

Ruby looked down at her niece. Unlike her mother, she had more straight hair, but older photos of Yang seemed to show this too, and the brushed mane gradated from blonde to pale blue at the tips. Her own eyes were lilac, just like her mother's, and anybody could tell that she was not going to be one to easily stop in the future.

Her sister stood nearby, leaning more on the couch than anything. Luna wasn't yet starting to figure out words, much less stable walking, but she was getting there, almost as if seeing her step sister perform the acts encouraged her to do it, too. However, she looked almost like a copy of her mother, save for the ears being swapped for a tail, and having blonde hair as opposed to her mother's own jet black.

Just seeing the two of them made her decision even more solid in her mind. She had to do this. She had to forge ahead with the plan that Ironwood had made. She had to make the world safe for these two, if nothing else.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump.

"Yang! Why!?"

"Easy there, sis. I just wanted to let you know that dinner will be ready soon."

Sure enough, there was a pleasant smell beginning its planned escape from the direction of the kitchen. And Ruby could tell that Weiss was supervising, but she didn't know exactly when her lover had left the couch, but decided to chalk it up to her having been distracted by her nieces.

Scooting off of the couch and down to a level that the toddlers could reach, Ruby began to allow them to climb all over her, eventually catching them both in her arms, the pair of small lives letting out squeaks as she hugged them. She then looked up just in time for Blake to come around the corner.

"No telling," she mouthed.

Ruby, having learned to read lips while she and Weiss thought they were sneaking around, nodded in agreement.

Across the hall, Ren and Nora were discussing things on their own.

"I know you want to go, Nora, but we have the kids to worry about." Ren's calm tones and collected demeanor were as hard to crack as ever, even in the face of his over-eager wife.

"Then what do we do, hmm? Just sit back here while Team RWBY takes all the glory?"

Ren sighed hard. He had failed to account for the possibility of Yang and Blake being on the mission, as well. If they were going to fight, there was going to be no dealing with Nora if she couldn't go.

"I'm not saying that they wouldn't all go, but I think it would be better if..." He was cut off by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Weiss' sister. I... I didn't know she was in town."

"Well? Let her in, silly!" One thing that was still intact, despite the overly serious nature of the conversion at hand was her overly bubbly personality.

Opening the door, Ren invited the Atlas Specialist inside.

"Out of curiosity, why are you here? Your sister is just across the hall."

"I'm not here to talk to her. I need to talk to the two of you."


	7. Coming Apart

"You want us... to stay in the rear?"

"Yes."

"No way, sister. Not gonna happen." Nora stood suddenly and slammed her hands on the table.

"Nora!"

"But Ren..."

Ren raised his hands and interlaced his fingers, bringing the newly formed bridge to rest against his face.

"By being in the rear, you say we can protect the children?"

"That... that is what the General believes, yes." Winter was starting to see why Ironwood would have selected Ren to be in charge of overseeing this portion of the plan. The younger Huntsman was calm, collected, and analytical about the whole thing, wanting to have all the information to look over.

"The whole plan is still incredibly dangerous. I don't see many people coming back from the front alive."

That was when the older Schnee's face fell. She knew the odds as much as the next person. And they were stacked in the favor of Salem. Breaking from her normally formal pattern of speech, she replied to him.

"Yeah. I... I don't see many people coming back. They're predicting a 5% return rate with severe maiming, and close to a 0.25% with no injuries."

It was the numbers that pulled Nora down from her high. Even if they succeeded, the odds of many people she knew never returning struck home. Shakily, she placed a hand on Ren's shoulder.

"So we..."

"You will survive, more than likely." Winter was returning to her formal mannerisms. "Predicted odds of survival for the rear guard are at 57% with maiming, and 25% intact, give or take 3 to 4 percent."

Ren reached a hand up to rest it on Nora's the simple movement comforting her.

"Can we have a bit to think this over? I just... need to make sure Nora's okay."

"Of course. I will await your response."

She then stood and left the living space, closing the door behind her. As soon as the latch clicked, she sighed and looked at the ceiling. She had hated that whole conversation. They had children, young children at that. If the numbers from the strategists were wrong... She shook her head, not wanting to think about that outcome.

Across the campus, Obsidian and Lapis were helping Ebony out with a slight modification to plans. Instead of returning to Haven Academy, she was going to join the volunteers and fight. While the taller Faunus had protested, Lapis assured him that everything would be alright.

"You know, I still have my doubts about this plan, Lapis."

"Oh shush. She'll be fine. If nothing else, we are ensuring that Dante doesn't go do anything stupid."

"Yeah," Ebony agreed, sliding over and giving Lapis a high five.

Obsidian raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose, the cold metal of the fingers helping to ground him in place, which was what he wanted. Mentally reminding himself that he was not responsible for what Ebony did, he sighed and returned to facing them, now a willing accomplice in their shenanigans.

"Alright. How do we do this?"

Down at the campus training ground, Dante and Nero were busy alternating blows to training dummies. They knew that they may have to work together, so they had made the training course harder than it really needed to be, with the simulacrum mimicking various Grimm, including a large one taking the role of the Dragon-type that had been seen years ago at the Fall of Beacon.

They knew they were playing a one-sided chess game, and it was stacked against them.

"You know, for somebody who was drunk less than 3 days ago, you are holding up pretty well."

"Now... isn't... the time... for... this... cuz..." Dante shot back between blows. They didn't need to destroy the robots, only land hits on known severance points to shut down each automaton, which was then magnetically pulled to the back ranks to restart as a new opponent.

When the simulation suddenly stopped, the dual wielder had been mid-swing, causing him to stumble forward slightly, lodging his sword into the floor, the shorter of the pair skittering away to stop at the feet of one of the automatons.

"You know she's gonna come along, whether you want her to or not, right?" Nero pushed his hair back as he said this, the Beacon alumnus cocky in his assertion.

"Yeah. What about you and Lil?"

"Oh, she knows I'm going. We signed up for the medical group, along with Vio and Russ. You?"

"We're second line. It's as close as good ol' Jimmy will let us get to the front lines. Still, I have a sneaking suspicion that Caos is gonna try to pull a few digital strings and get us reassigned to the first wave."

"Damn stright!"

The sudden appearance of Team COLD's leader startled both men.

"Geeze! Warn me next time!"

Caos then burst out laughing. "You two done here? If so, I've got next."

Raising an arm, Dante sniffed and recoiled. He smelled atrocious. "Yeah. Course is all yours, LT."

"Watch it, Trogdor."

The two partners shared a brief fist bump, as they passed by each other, with the cousins relinquishing the arena to the martial artist.


	8. Seven Days I

As the dawn broke over the horizon, the normally still campus grounds were alive with activity. Huntsmen and Huntresses from across Remnant were gathering at the academy grounds and boarding airships which left as soon as they were loaded, heading towards the staging area on the southern coast of Atlas. The tension as they left was immense, and Grimm gathered at the base of the cliffs, attracted by the fear and trepidation that hung thick in the air.

On board one of them, Team RWBY and Team COLD were deep in conversation, all while a masked huntress sat in silence.

"Seriously, Rubes. That woman is giving me the creeps." Yang looked around as she uttered the phrase.

"What? You can't honestly tell me that it isn't unnerving. She just showed up, didn't say a word, and just boarded the airship. How do we know she isn't a spy?"

Caos cocked an eyebrow at the last part. "What gives you that idea?"

"It's alright. Some suspicion is natural." The voice that answered was obviously heavily modulated, warped by the mask. "I haven't given you much reason to trust me yet. Just wait until we have to fight. You'll see."

A uniformed officer came over to talk with Caos. Having said his piece, he saluted and walked back to the cockpit.

"She's right. We will just have to wait and see. We're all set."

The door closed as Ruby caught sight of Ren and Nora standing at the landing pad.

"They're coming, too!?"

"Ruby," Weiss interjected, "If your concern is their children, I will remind you that Yang and Blake are with us, and their daughters are not much older."

"Well, yeah, but..."

"I'm sure that General Ironwood has taken all of this into account, Ruby."

Yang smiled as Blake spoke up in their defense. She knew that what they were doing was going to be dangerous, and she didn't want to have to lie to her younger sister. So, the truth, as they knew it, made for a simpler explanation.

Across Remnant, Ironwood was meeting with Qrow and Ozpin. The plan was the brainchild of the former, so the latter was there as an observer. However, he was able to provide a second opinion on parts of the plan that had been seemingly thought up while Qrow was overly intoxicated, which seemed to be less and less of a frequent thing these days. He was going to need to thank Winter for that.

"If I may make one more suggestion?"

"Sure thing, Oz."

The seasoned headmaster took a sip from his mug and placed the vessel on the nearby desk.

"While I do not doubt that the two remaining members of Team JNPR are, indeed, strong, their odds of survival without any form of backup is much lower than you would think."

"What are you saying, Ozpin?"

"General, in your experience, what are young children?"

"Well," the general said, raising a finger as he made each point, "they're defenseless, for one. And they are..."

"...easily... terrified...." Qrow finished. "Ah dammit, Jimmy. I forgot about the kids!"

Ozpin straightened his back. "Precisely. And that is why I would ask that you remain in the rear with them, Qrow."

"I'll assign Specialist Schnee, as well. The two of you seem to work well together, now that you're not constantly inebriated."

"Is that a compliment, Jimmy?"

Ironwood could feel his blood pressure rising every time the thinner man said that. However, he kept his composure. He knew that Ozpin was right, and that Winter and Qrow would work well together, even if the latter was drunk enough that a lit match would cause an explosion.

"Take it or leave it, Qrow."

Qrow reached into his shirt and took out his flask. Opening it, he took a sip.

"No complaints here, general."

He turned to leave as he finished talking, only to be stopped by Ozpin.

"One more thing, if I may."

"Wassup?"

"The four of you," Ozpin said, adjusting his glasses, "will operate as Team QRWN."

"An official team, Oz? You sure about that?"

The silver haired huntsman shrugged. "What can I say, old habits die hard. You're still part of your respective teams, but this is a new one, so it seemed appropriate."

Qrow nodded, his silent agreement masking the fact that his one fear had been realized: He would not be assisting Ruby with the assault.

The door closed and he sulked off in the direction of the nearest bar. He had been reducing the amount he was drinking, but he was going to need all the booze he could before it would sit right with him about what was happening.

It was about two hours into his bender that a familiar voice had his head swiveling back around.

"I thought I might find you here."

"Ice Queen.... I..."

"Shut up, you drunk. I'm not mad. You needed this."

Shrugging, the already inebriated huntsman returned to his drink. "Why're you here, then, hmm?"

"The general just told me what Ozpin said. I came here for a drink."

"Never thought I'd see you start using alcohol as a coping mechanism," Qrow stammered out as Winter downed her first glass in one shot.

"I'm not. I'm just in need of a drink, is all."

"Alright. Well, guess I can say we'll drink together," he slurred slightly. "They tell the other two?"

"Yeah. What do you think of it, Qrow?"

"Thinka what?" He leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, crossing his leg over.

"Them fighting like this. The team decision. All of it?"

"Well, considering I was the one that tried to put all the ones with kids in the back, I'm not exactly thrilled," he took a sip, finishing the contents of his glass. "But it's probably for the best."

Winter was puzzled by the statement. "What do you mean, exactly, "for the best"? They're probably going to die, Qrow. Doesn't that concern you?"

A thick silence formed as the more experienced drinker thought abut what had been just said. The waiter brought them each another drink, but quickly hurried off, not waiting for thanks, when Winter repeated herself.

"Well, Qrow? Doesn't it!?"

"I'd be lying if I said 'no', and you know it. But...," He fell silent as he let out a sigh and looked to the ceiling.

If he could have just been completely honest with her in that moment, it scared him more than he was letting on. Ruby may be only related to him though her and Yang sharing a father, but she was still family. And he knew Weiss was just as important to Winter.

"But what?"

"But they're stronger together. And I trust your sister."


	9. Seven Days II

The airships arrived and went, the week leading up to the assault full of revelations for all of them. Ruby was surprised to find her father had come along, ready to fight along side her.

"Dad, we got this, you know."

"I know, Ruby, I know. I just... I still don't like it."

"That makes two of us, Tai."

"Oh really, Qrow? From what I can tell, this seems like your kind of plan." The blonde shot at his team mate.

"Hey! I tried to get us at the front to help them, so don't go blaming me! You got a problem, take it up with Oz!"

"I think I just might!"

He stormed off, leaving Ruby to converse with her uncle.

"So... that was a thing." The shorter scythe user was slightly stunned by her father's outburst at Qrow. She wasn't aware that they were fighting with each other.

"Yeah. About that. Oz decided that I'm at the back with your buddies. Sorry about that, kiddo."

"Uncle Qrow," Ruby said, stepping back, "I'm in my 20's now. I'm not a kid anymore."

"This is true," the taller said, looking at her. "But you're still my niece, got it?"

"Yup!"

She turned and started to leave, before stopping and turning around. "I gotta go find Weiss. She has probably planned something insane, or is lecturing Yang into insanity."

"You go do that. Oh, and Ruby?"

"Yeah, Uncle Qrow?"

"In this fight, two days from now, you come back alive, you hear me?"

She nodded and headed off to find her partner. As she did, it was the first time that Qrow noticed that she had, in fact, grown up.

"Sorry, Tai. There was nothing I could do."

He then went to pull out his flask, only to find it missing. Cursing his semblance, he began hunting for it, only to be met by Winter, who extended a hand. In it, was the object he sought. Before he could snatch it away, she opened the lid, and raised it to her lips. Taking a long sip from it, she swallowed the harsh contents, never flinching as she did.

"When did you...?"

"Get this? Last night. At the bar. You left it on the table. You have some really poor taste in alcohol, Qrow."

"No nicknames today?" He smirked at this, hoping to get under her skin.

"Not this time. I... I think I've come to understand you, at least, a little bit."

He made another move to retrieve the flask, only to be stopped by her hand, this time, ungloved. It was an odd move for her, and he wasn't sure why he hadn't noticed it earlier, but she wasn't wearing, or even carrying her seemingly constant hand covers.

"No gloves today?"

"They're back in my room. I was hoping you'd follow me back there," She then leaned in to his ear and whispered, "and help me look." She pulled back, leaving a quick kiss on his cheek.

The pickup line wasn't exactly needed, nor was it very good, but he ran with it. After all, he recognized that they both needed what they were about to do.

Across the base, Weiss was sitting in front of a computer, analyzing the known data for the upcoming offensive. When Ruby's arms snaked around her slender shoulders, she reclined into the embrace. She wouldn't say it while in the public computer room, but she hadn't been spending much effort on being a good partner to her lover.

"You okay, Weiss?"

"I'm just tired, Ruby."

"Well, why don't you come with me, and I'll help you relax?"

Weiss cringed slightly. Ruby's definition of relaxing and her definition were usually not in alignment. "I don't think a video game will help me, honestly."

"Weiss Schnee," Ruby said, recoiling slightly, her tone mocking the one she had heard her girlfriend use so often in the past, "you offend me! I was planning on a bath, a massage, dinner, and then doing nothing!"

The co-head of the Schnee Dust Company couldn't suppress the giggle that surfaced. She knew, based on the tone, that Ruby was already prepared to relax how she felt fit. Rising to her feet, she felt her back protest as she did.

"A massage sounds marvelous."

In the next room, Ren and Nora were playing with their children, who were more interested in assisting Yang and Blake's daughters with escape attempts. They had actually begun to make a game out of it. Aqua and Luna would make a mad dash for the door, as fast as their one-year old legs would carry them, and Ren would go after them, only to see his own two taking off as he returned, giggling as they did. All the while, Nora seemed to be keeping score and recording everything.

Down in town, Yang and Blake were in a hotel with Sun, the trio spending their night together enjoying various pleasures, both refined and carnal. They had needed this night out, and Ren, with his seemingly infinite patience had been willing to give it to them. As they collapsed back onto the bed, the bodies drenched in sweat, the two women rolled in to face their husband. Exhaustion caught up with the trio, and they fell into a deep sleep.

A few rooms over, the mysterious woman stepped out of the shower, the towel wrapped around her form providing a sense of modesty, but doing nothing to hide the obvious scar that decorated her sternum. While she had initially been ashamed of it, she now looked at it proudly in the mirror. Glancing over at the bed, her gaze fell upon the mask she wore earlier. Stepping over to the bed, she picked it up. It had been made of the same material as riot gear, but the mirrored face plate made it look more like the robotic soldiers that she knew Ironwood prided himself on now. 

Catching her reflection in the surface, she put the headgear down and looked over the rest of her new attire. The body-suit, true to the supplier's words, fit perfectly, and was capable of storing all the ammunition she would need for her weapon. The cloak that she had managed to pick up also helped complete the look.

Placing the ensemble on the chair next to the bed, she let herself flop down on the mattress, not caring that the towel had fallen away in this action, revealing her nude form to the ceiling, and whomever happened to be watching on whatever hidden cameras were in the room. She was here, and nobody was going to stop her now.


	10. Final Moments

In the dark, yet wide corridors of the castle, Tyrion was stalking around. He had taken to doing this recently, ever since the doctor had disappeared. But he was of little to no concern to him. His was a life now consumed by revenge. He was going to find the woman who had removed his tail all those years ago and take her out. It was only a matter of time. His skulking came to an end when he heard a voice call for him.

"Tyrion," Salem stated, her voice, as calm and collected as ever, "I want you to take the serum that Watts procured from that... scientist, if I dare call him that, and head to Vacuo. I want you to wait there, and continue his work on the Grimm."

"Your grace, I don't mean to be rude, but, if I'm gone, then who will protect you? The girl... She DOES have those powers, you know."

"Silence! Do not question me again, Tyrion. Just take the formula and go. Do as I say."

"Ye-yes."

The scorpion Faunus left the room, his posture diminutive as he walked off to the laboratory that had been hastily assembled to collect what he needed.

Up in Atlas, the day of the assault dawned cold and grey. Where there would have been dew on the ground in Vale or Mistral, there was a thin layer of frost. The ice coated everything, creating a pastel effect until the sun hit it, causing it to be melted and evaporated. Having spent the night in their former lodgings, Team COLD awoke early to this sight, Caos heading out to their balcony to do her usual routine.

"Thought you'd sleep longer, booze brain."

"That's what you thought, captain schedules-her-farts."

She stopped and turned to face her company. "That's a lie, and you know it."

"Can't take it back now, Caos. Already said it."

"Dante, I don't know how you haven't been killed yet, with that mouth running like it does. You're writing some checks you can't keep cashing."

Dante smirked and walked over to her, a steaming cup in his outstretched hand. "I know. And that's why I'm glad I got you guys to back me up, ya know?"

"Is that...?"

"Coffee? Nah. I know you don't care for it. Mine is, but yours is definitely hot chocolate. Figured a warm up was kinda needed."

The martial artist shot him a glare. "And just what do you think I've been doing out here, hmm?"

"Uh... yoga?"

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny."

The two alumni stood for a moment, taking in the silence of the early morning, before Caos spoke up again.

"You know we're probably not gonna survive this, don't you?"

Dante smirked briefly before his expression changed to one of solemn contemplation. "Yeah. I know that. Well, if we don't, it's been one wild ride, hasn't it?"

"True. Just, tell me now: What did you do before we left?"

The normally relaxed Huntsman changed his demeanor, which had been one of mock seriousness a moment prior. "Say you cared about somebody, but weren't sure how they felt about you. So, when you find out that you may not return, you ask them to consider how they felt about you, and they don't give an answer."

Caos put up a hand. "Dante, just for a moment, pretend I don't know you like I do. Imagine a world in which I don't know about your... habits. What did you do?"

"I pushed her away, Caos. I told Ebony that we needed to think about what we were."

The blonde woman put her hand on her forehead. "So you told her, just as you were about to leave, that you weren't sure how you felt? Tell me," she said, turning to face her partner, "Just how stupid are you!?"

In another room on campus, Ren and Nora were meeting with Qrow and Winter. They had opted to meet early in the morning, after much protestation from Nora, last minute, to discuss what was going to happen. While Ren was asserting that Qrow, as the first letter in their new arrangement, should be in charge, the latter was deferring to the younger, citing him as being better with kids as a reason for him to be in charge. They kept at it until Winter, deciding she had enough, pulled rank, and ordered Qrow to take command.

Down the hall, Ruby and Weiss were spending a few extra moments cuddled up together under the blankets, but they were far from asleep.

"Does your uncle always get this loud?"

"Not normally, no. Same with Ren."

The paler half of the pair fumbled behind her for her scroll. Finding it, she absentmindedly brought it within her field of vision. "It's too early for them to be this loud..."

Ruby made an attempt to use her lover as a pillow, the slim frame of her partner not doing much to muffle the sound. "No kidding. So he's either drunk or..."

The two ceased their drowsy musing as they heard Winter's voice rise over that of the two men. It was followed by silence, signifying an end to the fighting.

"Ruby, we need to get up."

"Weiss.... I don't wanna."

The slightly muffled reply came from the fencer's abdomen, where the younger of the pair had decided to attempt to bury her head, instead smushing her face into her girlfriend's abs.

Over in Ironwood's office, last minute arrangements were being made between the general and the man Remnant was now relying on.

"You know you'll have to deal the final blow."

"If I can, James. If Miss Rose does so, then that is how it will be."

"Oz, I've seen them do amazing things, if not the impossible time and again, and still, I have to keep reminding myself that they're still young, and.... just... some of them have kids...."

"I know, General. It doesn't make it any easier on either of us. That is why I'll be remaining in the back lines with them until absolutely necessary." Beacon's headmaster took a sip from his mug as he said this, the warm contents doing little to cheer him with the knowledge of what they were all doing this far north.

In a scant few hours, lives would be irrevocably changed, some for the better, other for worse, and neither of them knew who would be at the receiving end of either.


	11. Pre-Apocalypse

"As you all know, this fight is going to be one to decide the fate of the world..."

Ironwood's voice rang out clear over the on-board communication systems. All three vessels that carried the assault force, plus the support ships that had the legions of Knights in them, were headed towards the one spot in Remnant that no soul dared voyage into. For centuries the northwestern continent was one that was just deemed off-limits to all settlement for reasons that had faded from memory, lost to the ravages of time. With no known inhabitants, it had not taken them long to determine that this was the final point of their mission.

In the hangars of the massive battleships, the ground forces were double checking their gear. No strap was left untightened, no belt unbuckled. All were filling their ammunition supplies. Dante and Caos were over by Ruby and Weiss, the quartet looking around at the fully assembled assault force that they would be leading.

"Man, Jimmy sure does like his speeches...," Dante uttered, much to the chagrin of Weiss.

Almost as if adding insult to injury, Caos chimed in as well. "No kidding. He... well... He just wants morale boosted, I guess."

The pair looked at each other. Dante was wearing what, to him, was normal, save for his pants. He was no longer decked out in his usual denim, having replaced them with a pair of black utility pants to "hide the blood better". Caos was wearing a new piece of armor, made to mimic the plate armor worn in the battles of a time long since past, but updated with modern science and engineering to include a medical pack, as well as a new, flowy piece of fabric that had the former more confused as to the origin.

"Where is that even attached?"

"Just at the base of the armor. If it gets lost, it gets lost. No big deal."

"Still," he said, running a hand down to pick up his own, extremely tattered waist cape.

"You know you could have asked for a new one, as opposed to new pants, right?"

"LT, I needed to stop with the denim. Armored pants? Seriously? I'd have to be insane to turn down an offer like that!"

"He's got a point."

"Says the girl in a dress," Caos retorted.

"It's a combat skirt," was the unison reply from both Weiss and Ruby.

Across the hangar, Lapis and Obsidian were meeting with the mystery woman, who had managed to get on just before the last of the ground troops were loaded in. She ducked behind a stack of ammunition crates and removed the helmet.

"They wanted me to remove this before," she said.

"Yeah. That was one of the things I was concerned for," Obsidian said, placing his hands in his pockets.

"As for the two of you, really digging the new outfits!"

Lapis, shied away slightly, her outfit not changing much at all, save for her having replaced her left bracer with a glove, covering up the joint from her new hand to her forearm. As for Obsidian, he was now sporting a dark blue, sleeveless shirt with a high collar, over which he now sported a single pauldron, covering the joints at the top of his prosthetic. As for the rest, it was virtually unchanged, save for his hair having been slightly trimmed. If anything, it could be said that the pair now looked as though they had recently escaped a fantasy RPG.

"Thanks... I think... HELMET ON!"

Lapis got her to put her headgear back on just as Dante walked over to them. He looked at them with slight suspicion as Lapis relaxed her shoulders. It was slightly odd for her to be this jumpy.

"You okay?"

"Y... yeah. Just....Semblance has been a little wonky lately. Not sure why."

Dante waved his hand, dismissing it. "No worries. Just making sure everybody is set. Caos wanted to address us all here before we drop."

Obsidian pulled his hands from his pockets. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

As everybody gathered in the middle of the loading bay, Caos stood atop a pile of crates.

"Listen up, cause I'm only gonna say this once. If any of you are killed by those punks, I'll drag you back from wherever-you-end-up and kill you again! You really wanna irk those S-O-Bs, then why not try staying alive! That's what this war's all about! If you live, everybody behind you lives. If you die, they die! You got that?"

"Now do one that you didn't steal from a game!" Obsidian had decided to heckle.

"Alright. Alright. Fair enough. Look, you all know the odds are low. Even for those who will be in the rear guard. I just.... I couldn't think of a better way to say it. Get out there, kick those Grimm back into whatever damn hole they crawled out of, and then come back! And do it alive, you hear me!?"

She then relinquished her spot to Weiss and Ruby, who continued the last minute briefing before they reached the insertion point.

In the second airship, Qrow and Ren were looking at each other. They knew that they would be dropped off or be guarding from the rear, especially as a smaller airship carrying Ironwood, Ozpin, and Glynda arrived. The reasoning for the transfer was mostly due to their ship being slower, but more heavily armored, so it would act as a rear command station. And they were responsible for the protection of the unarmed crew on board, many of whom had children of their own. A last minute change had seen any children that had come along being left back in Atlas, but it didn't change the stakes any. A life was still a life.

"The general is aboard." The announcement over the speaker meant that they were minutes away from the start of the assault.


	12. Time will not heal...

The ramp had barely dropped when Huntsmen and Huntresses began pouring out of the forward airships, followed closely by wave after wave of updated Knights. As soon as they hit the ground, all hell broke loose. The first few were met with lesser Grimm, being able to dispatch them quite easily, but the longer it went on, the more formidable their opponents became, easily increasing in size and strength to start to overwhelm small groups, but falling as more combatants arrived on the scene.

As they had done with extermination missions while they were in school, Dante and Caos were making a small game out of their kills, with neither one wanting to be bested by any Grimm. Through it all, neither one kicking in their respective semblance.

Across the field, Lapis and Obsidian were closing their gap, having been separated from their team mates by a group of Griffons. Once they had dealt with those, they were able to make their way to their competitive friends, ending the game as they fell back into step with tactics that they had put to good use when they were younger.

Just ahead of them, they could barely make out the flashes and blurs that were Team SSSN and Team RWBY making their way towards their goal: The towering dark form of a castle that dominated the horizon.

With a small lull in the combat, they took an opportunity to catch their breath.

"How many you get?"

"34, hot head. You?"

"Same, I think. Anybody else counting?"

Lapis rolled her eyes at this. "Still playing that stupid game, you two?"

Caos and Dante both smirked before the former answered. "That's implying it stopped to begin with."

A series of roars brought the quartet out of their reminiscing and back into the present. Lumbering towards them was a group of Ursa, with these bearing a sickly green color, much like the abhorrent shade that Team RWBY had described seeing on a mission years ago. With a quick set of glances and nods, the veteran fighters jumped back into action, and proceeded to fight against their new enemies.

Elsewhere, the reformed Team LUNA was handling their own set of problems, as their position was in danger of being overrun by a mixture of Faunus and Grimm.

"Nobody told me the White Fang was gonna be involved!"

"Sorry about that, Dad!"

Silver's concern was evident for his daughter as she jumped from enemy to enemy, merely knocking them out, while he and Nickel bound their hands. Even with their complement of automatons, they knew a confrontation was coming close, and they would have to face it sooner or later.

To their relief and frustration, the Faunus assault backed down as a solitary figure stepped forward, his torn coat flowing behind him as he effortlessly struck down Grimm after Grimm, making his way across the field.

"I see my doll has decided to return to me."

Fire in her eyes, Lillian lunged forward landing a solid punch on her brother's face. However, with her advantage gone, thrown away on one strike, he was able to quickly turn the tables. One after another, he began landing blows on her, slicing through the synthetic flesh that had been applied to her arms only days before.

"What!? Why would you ruin yourself with these.... these things!?" he shouted at her, having impaled her new arm.

"Newsflash, boy: Your sister is NOT your "doll". And it's time you learned a long overdue lesson."

Umbra spat in Silver's direction. "Like a damn human would know a single thing about Faunus affairs. You may want to back off, old man, before you suffer a fate worse than hers."

"Oh, that's it."

Silver threw his blade in Umbra's direction, his form popping out of the visible spectrum and back in within seconds, the added mass speeding the blade up in its travel, barely missing, but still unbalancing the irate rabbit Faunus.

"So be it. She will be mine. And you will be a corpse."

The younger sword fighter removed his blade from the prosthetic, sparks flying as he did so, and brought it around in an attempt to slice the human's arm off. However, he was blocked by a knife and the blade was redirected.

The two were then off, exchanging blows, metal sparking as it collided and slid along metal. Both realizing that they were equally matched, it then shifted to a war of attrition, with Umbra certain in his semblance being a deciding factor. Landing a hit that destabilized Silver, he sent the older swordsman flying into a nearby plateau, the impact creating a large cloud of black and red earth. 

Confidently strutting over, self-assured in his imminent victory, Umbra had to move quickly to the side as the older fighter lunged forward, having regained his footing. Almost falling over, he, again, tossed one of his blades, reversing his direction and landing a respectable distance from his younger opponent.

It was then that his secret became clear to his opponent. Silver stood, discarding the hooded cloak that had disguised his features up to this point. His hair fell free, the pale, lavender locks triggering a memory in Umbra. Shaking his head, the Faunus pushed it aside, allowing his rage to build. He wouldn't fall to these ideas that would make him weak. After all, there was no way a human could have possibly fathered him.

He lashed out, his blade passing mere inches from the veteran Huntsman's face.

"What's that matter," Silver teased. "See something you didn't like?"

The fighting resumed, with the two once again trading blows, with Umbra increasing the force his blades impacted with via his semblance. Eventually, they became locked in a bind.

"Your kind should be serving us! You don't deserve to be free after what you did!"

"I'm not sure what delusions you may have, but Humans and Faunus have equal claim to this world!"

Another strike sent the older male skyward, forcing him to activate his semblance again, sending him back to the ground. Shaking his head, to clear his vision, as each use began to wear on him more and more, he resumed fighting, only to be knocked back by a kick to the chest.

As he sprawled on the ground he braced for the worst, when he heard a familiar voice cry out.

"Umbra!"

In a moment that seemed to hang in the air, Umbra's sword never connected, yet there was a weight on Silver's chest.

"Out of the way, mother. This will be one less human to harass us."

"So you'd kill your own father!?"

"That.... That's not possible! No human could possibly be my father!"

As she stood, Adria pushed her own cape aside, revealing a matching rapier and dagger set to the one that Silver had been using.

"Umbra, he left half of his weapon with me when he left to protect you!"

"You... you're lying! He stole half of yours!"

"I gave it to him!" She said, taking a step forward.

"Lies! All of it lies!" Umbra shouted in return, his face contorted in denial.

"What reason would I have to lie to you?"

"Plenty!" Umbra shrieked as he rushed forward, sending his blade straight through his mother's chest.


	13. Time Will Only Kill

"Adria!!!!" 

Silver rushed over to where his wife was falling, catching her in his arms.

"No... no no no.... I.... no...."

"It's just how it is, Sil,... you.... you know... this...."

She began to struggle harder to breath. Weakly raising a hand, she brushed her husband's cheek, prompting him to bring his hand up to meet it.

"I'm so sorry.... Adria.... I... I promised...."

"You... kept it... Sil... you..." She paused and shuddered as a wave of cold swept over her. Recovering her strength for a moment, she leaned up and kissed him.

He returned her embrace, deepening it, even as the taste of blood became more and more present on her lips. As her hand went limp in his, and the life faded from her eyes, he still held on.

Through it all, Umbra stood there, racking his brain, a mix of anger and confusion on his face. It just wasn't possible. There was no way that his father was a human. He was certain of it. After all, it was the Faunus, not the Humans who were the stronger species.

Gently settling his wife's lifeless body on the dark earth, Silver's eyes narrowed as his anger grew.

He had been hoping to save his son, to bring him back with them, to mend the damage that had been done by his absence. But, in that moment, he could see that there was only one way for the fight to end: One of them had to die. 

As he rose, he picked up the second half of both pairs of weapons, placing them in their sheaths. He then retrieved his half of the set and moved towards his son, a vengeful fire burning in his eyes.

"You...." He swung, the blade connecting and sending one of Umbra's weapons sailing.

"...absolute...." His next move was a swipe in the opposite direction, and it narrowly missed.

"...waste..." Another slice that narrowly missed, but pushed the now frightened Faunus close to the wall.

"...of potential." This time, he thrust, forcing his now terrified son to duck, the weakened blade of the rapier striking rock and shattering.

Recovering, Umbra shot back. "What did you expect? After all, she sided with the weak, and that made her worthless."

He pulled out his second sword, and swung, severing Silver's braid, but missing his face.

What he hadn't expected was the follow up punch.

As he was reeling, Silver rushed forward again, delivering blow after blow to his torso and face. He only stopped when his son's knee collided with his diaphragm, knocking the wind out of him.

"And see? You are the weakness in her. She dared betray our kind. Now, she can lie here, alone, with only her weakness to bear witness, and, unless I'm mistaken," he leaned in to his father's ear, a smirk on his face, "I win, and Lillian. Is. Mine."

Rocketing up, Silver slammed his shoulder into Umbra's gut.

"Over my dead body, you little bitch."

Both combatants, now thoroughly enraged, resumed their fight, with blow after blow being traded, and Silver, now no longer hindered, adrenaline pumping through his veins, used his semblance to repeatedly get the upper hand on his irredeemable offspring. 

Just as the fight seemed like it would end in Umbra's favor, he made a fatal misstep, allowing Silver to come in low, and drive his remaining rapier up and into his gut, the tip shooting out through the back of the former's coat.

Driving the blade in further, twisting as he did so, the older, more experienced combatant used his free hand to grab one of the two knives he now possessed and drove it into his son's back. He then removed it and the rapier, causing Umbra to stumble backwards.

Turning away for a moment, Silver took a few steps, then, whipping around, flung Adria's dagger in Umbra's direction, activating his semblance one last time. As he came back into a solid state, he collided with his dying son, knocking the boy down to the ground.

Dropping the knife, his hands rushed to the Faunus' throat, where he proceeded to begin to squeeze. And he would have continued if it weren't for the cold steel of the hands on his wrists.

"Dad, please."

"He.... he killed...."

"Dad, I know that, but he's not worth it."

A single, mechanical hand reached out for his face, and gently brushed his hair. As it did, he released his grip on his son, the light having long since faded from his eyes.

He went to leave, only to collapse a few steps away, his semblance and emotions finally taking their toll. As Nickel and Alcian stood watch, Lillian held on to her father as he broke down.


	14. Ragnarok

Back at the command center, the fighting was beginning to seep through. Qrow and Ren had ordered them to take off and leave them there, and just in the nick of time. However, the giant airship was struck as a massive, serpentine Grimm burst from the rock.

Ren's shoulders went limp. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Oooooo.... a snake.... Let's kill it." Nora took a combat stance and crouched, ready to strike.

"Kid, no!"

But it was too late. The hammer user rushed in, Magnhild slamming into the body of the beast, but doing nothing to it.

"Ren......"

"Nora! Get back!" Ren unloaded round after round into the snake, but his small caliber fire wasn't doing much to stop it.

Once Qrow and Winter stepped in, however, things began to change. The older pair, having dealt with more powerful Grimm on a regular basis, proceeded to immobilize the Grimm, taking away its movement capability, and pinning it in place. Taking her opening, Nora rushed forward again, only to be caught by the massive creature flailing its head around. She hit the ground hard, her aura shimmering as it gave out.

Ignoring the sudden appearance of pain, she ran in again, landing a solid hit on its head. Misjudging her landing, she came down just as its head did, the forward most fangs of the colossal Grimm finding their mark in her torso.

Ren, also exhausted, but finding strength somewhere, rushed in and began hacking at the Grimm's head. He was aided, in time, by Ozpin and Glynda, the latter using her semblance to lift the beast off the ground.

As his wife slid off the fang, the martial artist caught her limp body. There was no coming back from this.

"I'm so sorry," he said, tears slowly falling from his eyes.

"We need to move up. Ruby's group should have reached the castle by now."

"Just leave me here. I'll hold this spot for evacuation."

"Lie Ren, I understand your grief, but she is gone. Nothing you can do will bring her back."

"I know. And I am saying to leave me here to hold this spot. I just need ammunition."

Nodding, Ozpin motioned for Qrow and Winter to head out ahead of them. Taking one last glance at the broken man before him, the headmaster headed off to join the fight. Chancing one last glance back, Ozpin shook his head and muttered under his breath. He was beginning to see the chain of mistakes he had been repeating from the beginning catching up to him.

Seeing their departure was completed, Ren gently picked up his wife's remains and carried her over to a bulkhead that had survived the airship's violent demise. Gently leaning her up against it he took her hand in his, raising one of his weapons to eye level. One shot was all it would take. He was certain of it. And yet, he couldn't will his arm and hand to finish the act. Every time he tried, something stopped him. 

Shouting in frustration, he threw the firearm on the ground and fell over onto the form that used to be Nora. The few surviving soldiers in the area coming over and taking up position to guard them.

Back on the battlefield, the intense fighting had almost ground to a halt with the arrival of a new opponent. Towering over the human fighters, the previously dormant Grimm reared back, releasing a sound that could only be described as the tortured screams of those it had killed in days long gone finally being uttered. The sound managed to demoralize a good chunk of the troops until several huntsmen and huntresses rushed at it, only to see their weapons pass through where its legs should be, leaving no signs of damage.

Releasing another demoralizing rasp from its throat, the creature swung with its arms, claws raking through the armor of Atlas troops, killing them instantly.

Peeking out from behind a rock, Dante and the masked woman were in awe. They had been told about the possibility of Grimm like this being present, but they had hoped to never face them.

Ducking back down, Dante could see where Caos, Lapis, and Obsidian were sheltered and nodded in their direction before hurdling over the earthen shelter, splitting his swords into their separate halves. His bold, yet idiotic tactic seemed to confuse the beast long enough for Lapis to land a few shots from her weapon before it recovered.

Circling around for another pass, the swordsman suddenly found himself shoved out of the way by the woman he had taken shelter with only moments ago. Rolling with the force of the impact she received, part of her helmet cracked off, a few familiar strands of hair becoming visible.

Letting out a cry, she rushed forward, revealing her weapon arm to be clad in a slightly oversized gauntlet, the elements revealing a fiery charge was loaded. Sending her arm forward, her fist collided with the outstretched hand of the Grimm, which then closed its fingers around her appendage, lifting her up into the air before letting out another ear-piercing shriek.

At the front of the fighting, the members of Team RWBY and Team SSSN were encountering wave after wave of Grimm. They had long sent Ruby ahead, along with Weiss to enter the keep, leaving them without two of their strongest.

"Hey, Yang."

"Not now, damn you."

During it all, Neptune was still trying to apologize to Yang, who wasn't having it. The two continued to trade verbal blows with each other all while landing effective physical blows on Grimm.

Inside the keep, Ruby and Weiss were shocked to find it virtually empty.

"This isn't right, Ruby."

"No kidding. This remind you of anything?"

"Mountain Glenn when we were younger, maybe?"

"Yup."

Just as Ruby uttered her confirmation, the simply lit room they were in exploded with light as Salem entered.

"I see Ozpin has, once again, sent children to do his dirty work. The last one like you didn't fare so well, either."


	15. Nightfall

The skies began filling with clouds as the battle raged on, and a darkness crept across the ground, snaking its way over the barren landscape, determined to engulf everything it came into contact with. The only thing counteracting it was the pale light of the shattered moon, which was becoming unreliable at best.

The creature unleashed another shriek, causing Obsidian to clamp his hands down over his ears harder.

"That noise is gonna be the death of me!"

"You? I think I'll be hearing that in my nightmares from now on."

He shot their leader a harsh glare, and then she remembered: His semblance amplified noise in the dark. He was probably in excruciating pain. And yet, he wasn't running away. He was smirking now.

"What's the plan?" Caos asked, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the inhuman wailing.

"Next time that damn Banshee opens its mouth, I need both you and Lapis to shoot it."

"I'm not exactly sure what that will accomplish."

"Easy: At best, it stops the screaming, allowing us to attack."

"And at the worst?"

"It serves to make it madder, and I get to slap you later."

"Not seeing a downside here."

"Dante! When did you....?"

"Get over here? Just as you were explaining the absolutely gorgeous plan. Our mystery friend out there may be able to use her weapon again, but she's not sure. Although, it looks really familiar."

Just as the colossal Grimm screamed again, Caos and Lapis unloaded rounds into its mouth, causing it to recoil and close its maw. Using the moment of silence, Dante and Obsidian rushed forward and delivered multiple cuts to their adversary's arms, having determined earlier that it did not possess legs.

Despite the wounds, the beast opened its mouth to scream again, only to meet the masked woman's fury as she unloaded another volley into it, severing the limbs and destroying its head. However, the shot was to be her last, as her weapon, now thoroughly overloaded, exploded, taking her arm with it, along with fabric from her combat attire.

Falling back to the ground, she narrowly avoided impact as Dante slid in on his back, having convinced Obsidian to throw him. The collision knocked her helmet completely off, revealing her identity to him.

"Ebony! Why!?"

"I needed to see you, at least one more time."

"But you could have come back at any point in the months before we left! I thought you went back to Haven!"

She reached up with her remaining hand to push his now untied hair out of his face, smirking as she did.

"Couldn't do that. Not with a fight like this."

"But you...."

"Hey. You. You with the scars and scruffy beard."

Dante looked down again, making eye contact just as she coughed.

"This is where I want to be, you know."

"But you... You're... Eb, you're dying, you realize that, right?"

"Don't care. I made my choice. After all, somebody other than Caos needed to save your careless butt."

The comment made him chuckle for a moment, but the gravity of their situation sunk in again, as another roar echoed across the land.

"Look at me, moron," Ebony quipped, her hand now on Dante's shoulder. "You leave me here, and go take care of that thing. I think I know how to call a medic."

"You sure?"

"Oh yeah. Totally. I'll be fine. We can talk when you get back," she responded, her voice weaker than normal.

"I'm gonna hold you to that."

Leaning her on a rock, he rejoined his team as they turned to face their new threat: a large, ancient Grimm resembling the dragon that had attacked Beacon years ago.

"Caos?"

"Yeah, booze breath?"

"I think I'm getting too old for this crap."

"Then that's just more for me."

The quartet readied their weapons and charged towards the massive aggressor.

Back inside, Ruby and Weiss were being soundly bested with every move they made. No matter which direction they came from, which angle they chose, Salem was able to predict their every move. Yet they persisted, only to be beaten again.

"Now.... what.... Ruby?" Weiss was losing steam, and she was almost out of dust charges for her weapon, having used up her speed loaders much faster than she had anticipated.

"Not a clue...." Even the seemingly boundless energy of the younger woman was reaching its limits.

For both of them, their vision was beginning to blur, having been moving almost non-stop finally catching up with them, along with the wear and tear to their respective Auras from being repeatedly slammed into pillars and walls.

"As I said before: You two will do no better than the last one."

In her hubris, Salem prepared to deliver a strike, only to find herself nose to tip with a familiar weapon forcibly shoved across her palms.

"You!"

"That's right, Salem, me. Did you really think that they wouldn't be looking for me after that stunt at Beacon?"

Ozpin's arrival was just in time to save the two women, but just barely. He was almost bent over backwards with the pressure the pale woman was exerting on his cane.

"Qrow! Get them out of here!"

"Well, yeah, but Oz!"

"Now!"

The urgency in his voice prompted the shift in the alcoholic huntsman. Scooping his neice up under one arm, and her girlfriend under the other, he began making his way out of the chamber, only to be stopped as Ruby recovered enough strength to elbow him in the kidney.

"Hey, now! That was kinda uncalled for!"

"He needs our help."

"Oh no. Nuh-uh. No way, kiddo," Qrow objected as hard as he could, despite the repeated blows to his back. "Look: Oz knows what he's doing. He'll call for you if needed."

He set the two women down just outside of the door, giving them a chance to look at each other. Both were starting to bruise, their Aura nearly drained from all the fighting. The more they looked, the more it became obvious that the older man was right: they were in no shape to be fighting.

Just as they finished, Yang and Blake arrived, each of them helping the two exhausted women to their feet.

"Geeze, Ruby, you look like a damn mess!"

"Me? Yang, you should see your hair." Sure enough, the blonde's hair was singed and burned irregularly shorter than the rest in patches.

"What about Team SSSN?"

"Winter's got 'em. Medics aren't sure the blue-haired one is gonna make it, though. Moron decided to try soloing a group of Nevermores, from the looks of the holes."

The hall fell silent, save for the sounds of Ozpin fighting in the next room and the walls shaking from the shelling from smaller gunships.

Yang dropped to her knees at the news. "I never gave him a chance."

"Firecracker?"

"He's been trying to tell me something this whole time, and I didn't listen."

"You better get on over to them, then. At least hear him out, ya know?"

"I'll go with her," Blake interjected, holding her hand out for the blonde to grab on to.

The pair departed, leaving the original trio in the hallway to wait for their call.


	16. Darkness

Inside the hall, the fight between the two old adversaries continued to rage. For every blow Ozpin would land, he was met with one of equal, yet opposite power. The pair continued to trade rapid-fire attacks, defending against the other equally. However, all scales eventually tip, and the shift happened without warning.

With a powerful swing, the cane-wielding headmaster sent his opponent crashing to the floor, the impact creating a small divot as the reflective stone tiles cracked and shattered. Pushing off of a nearby pillar that was still intact, he sent himself barreling to where his opponent lay on the ground, recovering from her sudden loss in altitude. In his confidence of an assured victory, he failed to see her produce a single blade made of stone and swing it at him, redirecting him out and into the hallway.

Outside, the fight against the revived dragon was turning in the beast's favor, as well. No matter how many rounds were sent at it, it would continue to shrug them off, dropping more and more Grimm onto the battlefield, slowly increasing the difficulty for the Atlas troops and mecha.

"Oh, this is not going well."

Obsidian shot his former leader a look and retorted with a hasty, yet snarky, "Ya think?"

They then regrouped behind their new cover, which just happened to be a portion of wall that had miraculously blown off the castle and lodged itself in the ground.

"Hey. Caos. Plan 42."

"Oh, no damn way, Dante."

Racking his brain left Obsidian slightly puzzled. He couldn't remember a plan 42 from anything in his past. He suddenly recalled when Lapis spoke up.

"Why would we throw you? That's suicide with that thing out there!"

"Then throw two of us. It only has one mouth!"

Pairing off, Dante prepped himself to rebound off of Obsidian's blade, while Lapis prepared for the impact from Caos' weapon. The two then ran forward, and jumped, their companions sending them up and towards their target: The draconian menace's wings. Putting their weapons into the proper setups, they impacted almost perfectly, shredding the membranous appendage and removing its ability to fly, forcing it to the ground.

Robbed of the height advantage, the beast began to thrash wildly, with gun and canon fire making quick work of the now decreasing numbers of Grimm that it could produce. The remaining Huntsmen and Huntresses then moved in for the kill, making quick work of the creature as swords, spears, axes, shotguns, and various other implements of destruction began chewing through its thick hide.

Seemingly as a last resort the ancient monstrosity lashed out with its tail, striking Dante and Lapis, the former being more worn out than the latter, sending him flying. 

At his landing spot, the swordsman bounced and rolled along the ground, his aura glimmering as it gave out, leading to a nasty series of cuts and injuries to his person. As the beast faded away, he closed his eyes, the pain sending him into unconsciousness.

Inside, Ruby watched in horror as the man who had admitted her to Beacon became the recipient of the same, punishing level of assault she had received. Thrusts and swings were slowly, yet surely, chipping away at his Aura. He was definitely powerful, but not immortal.

Unable to hold it in any longer, she screamed.

As she did a blinding light erupted from her eyes, engulfing everything in the room, and causing the windows to blow out from the sudden change in pressure brought on by the momentary distraction allowing Ozpin to shove his cane, now sheared off into a point, into Salem's body. The resulting explosion brought the ceiling and walls crashing down.

Outside, the stronghold could be seen collapsing, and the White Fang, now completely leaderless, began to scatter. This was followed closely by a large blast which spread across the battlefield, eliminating Grimm and Huntsmen alike, indiscriminate in its targets.

Several hours later, the survivors began digging themselves out. Caos' pristine white garment was stained black by airborne particulates, the once sharp edges torn and shredded by debris. She quickly located her teammates, save for Dante, who was found by Nero.

"He's over here! And bring me a damn medkit!"

Elsewhere, a more pressing search was underway.

"Ruby!"  
"Weiss!"  
"Kiddo! Ice Queen!"

The shouts for the two members of Team RWBY went strong until they were silenced by Sun.

"I found something!"

He was quickly joined by Qrow and Winter. There, lodged in the ground, a scrap of fabric trapped under its sharpened edge, was what remained of Crescent Rose.

The once massive weapon was twisted and torqued, the barrel seemingly ripped off and sent to parts unknown, leaving jagged, twisted metal at the back, truncating its length. Parts of the blade were missing, and not far away, a tattered bolero had snagged on a piece of rubble.

Jumping down into the newly formed depression, the two older combatants immediately began searching for other signs of their family members. Not far away, the back end of the weapon had been lodged in the wall, pinning a large, banner length piece of tattered red fabric to the wall, a silver rose pin on the ground below.


End file.
